DIY Embellished Friendship Bracelets

The weather is warming up and my wrists are feeling rather lonely and bare after hiding under long sleeves all season long. But after digging up last year’s DIY friendship bracelets, I realized they desperately needed sparkly and shiny upgrades. Today we’re showing you three easy ways to embellish your friendship bracelets, making them all grown up . . .

To add rhinestones, you’ll need:

• a chevron friendship bracelet (tutorial found here)
• 5-6” crystal rhinestone chain (last used here)
• 1 yard of embroidery floss
• an embroidery needle
• a pair of scissors

Thread the needle with embroidery floss and tie the end into a double knot. Push the needle through the back of bracelet. Lay the rhinestone chain along the middle of the bracelet, using the chevron pattern as a guide.

Stitch the floss between the first two rhinestone links, pushing needle out the middle of the bracelet. Bring the needle back through the middle, this time further down between the second and third links.

Continue stitching between the rhinestone links. After the very last stitch, tie a double knot on the backside and trim the ends.

Your friendship bracelet is sparkling and finished!

To add studs, you’ll need:

• a chevron friendship bracelet (tutorial found here)
• 5 3/8” brass cone studs (last used here)
• a pair of small, sharp scissors
• a screwdriver

Use a Sharpie or marker to make 5 evenly spaced marks along the middle of the friendship bracelet. From the backside, push the point of the scissors through the mark to create a hole.

Push a screw through the hole. Twist the coned spike onto the screw and use a screwdriver to tighten.

Repeat the steps with the rest of the spikes. Voila! Your friendship bracelet has a spiked spine.

To add chain, you’ll need:

• a friendship bracelet (tutorial found here)
• 5-6” of brass curb chain
• 1 yard of embroidery floss
• an embroidery needle
• a pair of scissors

Thread the needle with embroidery floss. Untie one end of the friendship bracelet and re-knot it with the tail of the threaded embroidery floss. Push the needle through the outer edge of the backside of the bracelet.

Lay the chain flat, against the edge of the bracelet. Thread the needle over and through the first link. Push the needle though the backside about two rows down. Depending on the width of each link, the row count may vary.

Keep stitching. Make two stitches around the last link, untie the knot and re-knot with the last of the floss. Trim away any excess.

Your chain trimmed friendship bracelet now has an edge – how simple was that?

Stack ‘em, give ‘em away and you’re officially ready for summer.